monsbrick

I'm a Catholic Christian and active in several local churches. I co-teach a Confirmation class Sundays.

My husband and I have been together over 12 years. He has a daughter, my step-daughter who is almost 21 years old. She used to do crafts on Saturday mornings and started with me coloring and often we don't do the same craft but we will do related creative and artsy projects. I still feel like a beginner as I don't have any formal training and I keep moving from medium to medium with no central focus. But I HAVE FUN! AND IT'S THERAPY!!

Today’s thoughts about books. One of my favorite books is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have been Scrooge though not as rich! Just a bad attitude or not very generous attitude towards giving Christmas. I had lost my boss back in 2002 his name wasn’t Marley. He was Erick. And I had a series of dreams where he wasn’t as mean as Marley nor as suffering in chains but he did remind me how important giving toys to kids like the Toys for Tots programs is. And he kept coming back until I was like ok. Ok I’m going to the toy store already!! And that happened a few years in a row. Erick really loved Christmas and when he was alive took our whole team toy shopping and made us each buy more than one toy for donations. Still I love Marley and it’s a good reminder to be caring and loving of co-workers and family and strangers too.

Currently listening to: Caitlín Kiernan’s best off under the title Two Worlds and in Between volume one.

Recently read: Hugh Howey's Across the Sand

Maria Valtorta's Poem of the Man-God

Sue Grafton's S is for Silence

everything by Malcolm Gladwell also everything written and also podcasts by Michael Lewis

Here in no particular order are folks I like at YouTube or Podcasts or Etsy or other Media like magazines:

Tim Holtz

Shana at Shanouki

Pam at The Paper Outpost

Marta at Maremi Small Arts

Martyna at tealandtattered

Louise Heinzl

Barbara at 49dragonflies

Joie de fi

LightSpeed Magazine also a podcast

Terry Gross' podcast

Magazines I love love love are: Daphne’s Diary Bella Grace Somerset Studio Art Journaling Pioneer Woman Better Homes & Gardens Food Network NYTIMES food Americas Test Kitchen

Postcards: naked or in an envelope. And all postcards are loved here. I recycle them too as I’m trying not to hoard postcards and all things paper related. ♻️

Paper: I love stationery and all kinds of paper. Lately I've been color dyeing like pink with beets juice and coffee-tea dyed paper. They're messy but great for junk journals!

Art, spiritual diaries, junk journals, funky scrapbooks. I'm not that organized though I do constantly try to get organized! My style is eclectic and messy and woodsy and Bohemian. But I love to save all kinds of little bits and pieces. Ribbons, book pages, washi tape, wrapping paper, home made paper, yarn, tissue, packaging, found objects, even washi tape.

Thank you to all the 100’s of stickers, ephemera, and extras in my swaps. There have been so many beautiful and thoughtful gifts from you all!!!